INDONESIA: A series of earthquakes jolted a number of regions in the
provinces of Aceh and West Papua on Saturday morning, although no
fatalities have thus far been reported in the affected areas.
In
Aceh Jaya, Aceh, the 5.1-magnitude earthquake hit at 5:28 a.m. The
epicenter was located 313 kilometers to the southwest of the regency at a
depth of 22 kilometers beneath the sea, Antara reported.
According to the Meteorology, Geophysics and Climatology Agency (BMKG),
the earthquake did not have the potential to cause a tsunami.
Earlier
the same morning, a 5.1 tremor was reported to have jolted Simeulue,
Aceh, at 2:34 am, with the epicenter located 220 kilometers to the
southwest of Simeulue at a depth of 10 kilometers.
In West
Papua, earthquakes were reported to have rocked Manokwari, the
provincial capital, and Ransiki. The 5.1 earthquake in Manokwari struck
at 9:16 a.m. local time and its epicenter was located 85 kilometers to
the southeast of the city. The quake in Ransiki measured a magnitude of
5.8.
The earthquake in Ransiki reportedly damaged a number of buildings, including a church that was still under construction.
“We
are still waiting for further reports on both the damage and victims,”
Ransiki climatology office head Uci Sanusi told Antara on Saturday.